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Republican jumps into race

Winslow will seek Senate seat

By Allison Thomasseau, Statehouse Correspondent

Updated:
02/06/2013 10:38:31 AM EST

Republican state Rep. Dan Winslow, a firebrand legislator with experience in the executive and judicial branches, announced Tuesday he is forming an exploratory committee and is "99 percent" sure he will run in the special election for former U.S. Sen. John Kerry's seat.

"People in D.C. are either the solution or the problem, but we need to get new faces and new ideas," Winslow said in a phone interview Tuesday.

Winslow joins two other Republicans who have announced interest in running: businessman and former Navy SEAL Gabriel Gomez and Dorchester resident Doug Bennett. And according to the State House News Service, state Sen. Bruce Tarr, a Gloucester Republican, is considering a run.

Winslow said he sees a ballooning federal deficit as the biggest challenge to Massachusetts residents.

The two-term legislator has made a name for himself with fiscally conservative proposals that range from legislation that would require utilities to refund money to customers who lose their power for extended periods to taxing politicians' unused campaign funds.

"In Massachusetts, we have a lack of competition in electrical power," Winslow said. "If we're stuck with them, then we really don't have the kind of market levers to get good service."

Winslow served as chief legal counsel for Gov. Mitt Romney from 2002 to 2005, and for former Sen. Scott Brown during Brown's 2010 Senate campaign. He also served as a district-court judge.

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He is also legal counsel to the Boston-based law firm Proskauer Rose LLP, and has served on the Judiciary Committee. The 54-year-old Norfolk native is known among his colleagues for being outspoken about legislation and procedures in the Democratic-controlled Legislature.

"He's serious about his issues, and he does a good job, although I don't always agree with him," said state Rep. Kevin Murphy, a Lowell Democrat who worked with Winslow on the committee.

In January, Winslow spoke in favor of a utilities bill filed by Rep. Stephen DiNatale, a Democrat from Fitchburg, that would allow cities and towns to create their own electricity utility by letting them purchase infrastructure from existing utilities companies.

Winslow's announcement came after prominent Republicans said they would not run, including Brown, former state Senate Minority Leader Richard Tisei, former Gov. William Weld and former Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey.

The lack of enthusiasm is linked to the tight deadlines faced by potential candidates. Winslow's biggest obstacle is to build name recognition that he will need to raise campaign contributions and collect 10,000 signatures by Feb. 27 to qualify for the primary election on April 30. The general election will be held June 25.

The Republican victor will likely face a better-known Democratic candidate. U.S. Reps. Stephen Lynch and Ed Markey, are the announced candidates seeking the Democratic nomination.

Frank Talty, co-director for the Center for Public Opinion at UMass Lowell, said Winslow should be considered a serious candidate even if he is not well-known outside his district.

"Winslow's connections run deep in the Republican Party," Talty said. "He knows a lot of people in the party, and would start with a good party base."

According to the Office of Campaign and Political Finance, Winslow has about $31,000 in his campaign bank account. Brown spent more than $35 million during his 2012 campaign against Elizabeth Warren, according to the Federal Election Commission.

Lack of funding could be a problem, but Talty speculated that Winslow's connections to the Republican Party could bring in necessary campaign funds.

Winslow said the purpose of his newly established committee includes contacting potential donors to see if running is financially possible.

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